A skincare expert in the US attempted to contact a neo-Nazi group in order to have a gay business rival killed off, a court heard on Monday.

Dawn Melody DaLuise, 55, appeared at Airport Courthouse for a preliminary hearing earlier this week, at which a judge said there was enough evidence to bring her to trial on one count of solicitation of murder.

The court heard from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office that the facial specialist attempted to hire white supremacists to kill her “double minority, Mexican gay” rival, who opened up shop in the same West Hollywood complex as her Skin Refinery, which had boasted celebrity clients.

The court heard that she had planned to have Gabriel Suarez, owner of the Smooth Cheeks salon, and had attempted to find someone who would be willing to kill him because of his sexuality and ethnicity.

Detective Steven McCauley testified that he had interviewed several men who DaLuise had allegedly contacted in order to kill Suarez.

“In one instance … she asked him if he could get her in contact with a white supremacist group, and the phrase from that point was, in essence, to find somebody to take out a ‘double minority, Mexican gay,’” he said.

Several witnesses said DaLuise had asked them to lie to police, and the court also heard that she had attempted to make it appear that Suarez had been stalking her online.

Charged on 7 March, DaLuise entered a not guilty plea about two weeks later.

If convicted, she could face up to nine years in prison, was held on $1 million bail (£600,000), and is due back in court on 7 July.

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